<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>CBT Certificate Program - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</title>
	<atom:link href="https://sweetinstitute.com/category/cbt-certificate-program/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/category/cbt-certificate-program/</link>
	<description>The One Stop Shop for Mental Health Clinicians and Agencies</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:17:40 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4</generator>

<image>
	<url>https://sweetinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-Add-a-heading-5-32x32.png</url>
	<title>CBT Certificate Program - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</title>
	<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/category/cbt-certificate-program/</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
	<item>
		<title>Understanding the 3 Fundamentals to Master Post-COVID and The New Normal</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/understanding-the-3-fundamentals-to-master-post-covid-and-the-new-normal/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=understanding-the-3-fundamentals-to-master-post-covid-and-the-new-normal</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Apr 2021 19:05:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Anxiety Certificate Course]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Post-COVID Reentry Process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psychotherapy Certificate]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://sweetinstitute.com/?p=11440</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The 3 Fundamentals are the one Truth that governs all human beings in their entirety. It is studied as 3 separate Truths for better operationalizing, better organization, and better use. This makes it easier to discuss how they can each be broken down, though, they are always one.  First, their names: Mind, or Intelligence Center; Thought or Belief; Consciousness or Awareness.  Second, operationalizing or defining each one of them and then collectively: The Mind or Intelligence Center governs everything in us and about us. It coordinates every single process, and it is where everything takes place. Thought or Belief is the Operant Factor and what catalyzes or activates the Intelligence Center. It&#8217;s what changes or adjusts things. It&#8217;s how things happen. Consciousness or Awareness is the Decisional Factor and what allows us to decide the type of relationship we have with our thoughts or beliefs. It is what decides our predominant thoughts, and therefore what we experience, how we experience it, and how aware we are of the experience itself.  The 3 Fundamentals are always in operation, and whether you are aware of that or not, doesn&#8217;t change anything. How they operate is similar to the 3 Fundamentals of Nature, which are: the Gravitational Force, the Electromagnetic Force,  and the Nuclear Force. They are occurring whether we are aware of it or not. Third, how are they organized? Naturally, since they are actually One, the 3 Fundamentals are designed to work as one. In this case, they are integrated. However, due to evolutionary processes, our thoughts and beliefs, being the Operant Factor, having passed from one generation to the next over millions of years, have led us to operate mostly unconsciously. As a result of the lack of integration, we operate mostly from an unconscious level, making it harder for the Decisional Factor (Consciousness or Awareness) to operate properly. This is because it&#8217;s basing its decisions on an unconscious process. For the Decisional Factor (Consciousness or Awareness) to operate properly, we ought to shift. This means unlearning, relearning, and learning is to take place for Consciousness to play its proper role of the Decisional Factor. This is in no way a deficiency; rather, part of the evolutionary [2] process.  Fourth, what is the use of all this? 1. We get to rediscover who we really are; 2. We get to bring to light why and how we got here; and, 3. We get to realize Life, what it is all about, and how to live. The ramifications of all this are as follows:  We live well, in harmony, in peace, joy, and love for ourselves and for others  Without the need to understand Physics, we get to fully understand what Einstein meant when he said, &#8220;We are part of a whole, called by us, Universe; but we experience our thoughts, feelings, and ourselves, as if we were separate from the rest-a kind of an optical delusion.&#8221;[3] We get to fully experience what it means that we are One [4], and what it means that we are Whole  We get why health, abundance, happiness, and success are natural to us, and all it takes is Consciousness and Awareness to decide  We get to understand that we are here to be a joyful model for one another, to elevate one another, and to create an environment that enhances everyone from our generation and beyond.  We get to appreciate how suffering is self-made; how no one is a victim of one&#8217;s life or circumstances; and how everything we live and experience is simply a reflection of our Operant Factor  We get to fully understand that no one is ever stuck where one is at; that no one is ever broken, and everyone can shift at any time by simply knowing how  We realize that we get to design the new “normal” for us in the post COVID era. Fifth, given that the Mind or Intelligence Center governs everything in us and about us, one may wonder if it means that we are not responsible; that we are at the mercy of life, circumstances, or of the nonlinear pattern and cyclical nature of life. The answer is a resounding, &#8220;No!&#8221; The Mind or Intelligence Center is neutral and gets activated and operated through our thoughts and beliefs, which are the Operant Factor. Because we can always change our thoughts and beliefs, we always get to change or choose the output of the Mind or Intelligence Center.  Sixth, what&#8217;s the best way for us to change the output of our Mind or Intelligence Center? We do so by shifting. We shift from one state of Consciousness to the next. First, we shift from the lowest state of consciousness to the next one up. Then we shift from an unconscious state to the first conscious state. And then we shift from one conscious state to the next one up.  Seventh, what&#8217;s the best way for us to shift? Take one of the SWEET Certificate Courses. Here are your options: The Psychotherapy Certificate Course; The Inside-Out Certificate Course; The Anxiety Certificate Course; The CBT Certificate Course  Are you ready to design your new “normal” in the post-COVID era [5]? If so, please reach out and we will work with you so you continue to best serve your clients, loved ones, and yourself. Until soon,Karen and Mardoche &#160; [2] HOFFMAN, DONALD. CASE AGAINST REALITY: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes. W W NORTON, 2021. [3] Einstein, Albert, and Stephen Hawking. A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion: the Essential Scientific Works of Albert Einstein. Running Press, 2009. [4] “Oneness &#8211; How We Are All One.” Better Believe It!, 16 Sept. 2016, betterbelieveit.net/oneness-how-we-are-all-one/. [5] Fisher, Max. “What Will Our New Normal Feel Like? Hints Are Beginning to Emerge.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/world/americas/coronavirus-social-impact.html.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/understanding-the-3-fundamentals-to-master-post-covid-and-the-new-normal/">Understanding the 3 Fundamentals to Master Post-COVID and The New Normal</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Defense-Driveness</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/defense-driveness/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=defense-driveness</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clinical Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://sweetinstitute.com/?p=11332</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Defense-drivenness: What is it about those individuals, who come across as uncaring, indifferent, or unconcerned? To them, life is all about making requests, commanding, demanding, giving orders, dictating, giving ultimatums, without ever being flexible, without understanding that life is not about winning 100% of the time, much less, at the cost of others. These individuals are usually easy to spot.&#160; They have to shine above the rest, at all costs, are all about “respect,” defending themselves, or “pride.” They tend to hold others in contempt, or disdain, especially when they perceive them to not be at their “level,” to be “weak,” or to not “have what it takes.” These individuals are at the degree of consciousness known as Defense-Driveness, and they go through life through the process of pretentiousness, pomposity, arrogance[1], and cockiness. While individuals at this degree of consciousness, may, in fact, have something to show for it, this “showing,” is often a “cover-up,” and an attempt to “make up,” for many of the characteristics predominant at the lower degrees of consciousness. For individuals to get to the degree of consciousness of Defense-Driveness, they must have gotten to the point of wanting, which means, they have been able to compensate [2] for all the characteristics of the lower degrees of consciousness that would have prevented them from wanting or achieving. Individuals, at the degree of Defense-Driveness, not only have wanting, but have also achieved many of them, which has helped raise their self-esteem. However, this rise in self-esteem is all dependent on external accomplishments, which means while the outside may “look good,” the inside is still “empty,” “weak,” “vulnerable,” and has to be hidden. These individuals often experience what we call, the Impostor Syndrome and work tirelessly not to be “found out.” They create a barrier, or armor, defending themselves at all costs, at the slightest perceived sign that they may be under attack. All this is because they fail to understand that they are simply projecting their hidden sense of inadequacy. This explains why they come across as being presumptuous, cocky, and arrogant. Despite all that they may have accomplished, they still never feel enough [3]. They are, therefore, often afraid of losing, of regressing, and react to perceived threats by being hostile, angry, and vengeful. Needless to say, that because these individuals are functioning totally based on defenses, it is rare for them to grow beyond protecting themselves from downfall. The solution is for them to know that there is something “better than this.” In this vein, only through a shift in perception, belief, or understanding will individuals at this degree of consciousness know peace, love, joy, authentic happiness and authentic success. They will know real freedom, and fulfillment, by shifting away from the illusion that their level of happiness will be proportional to their level of accomplishments [4]. They need to cease to falsely believe that their self-esteem is related to their external success, that their self-image is associated with what they have or do, or that their sense of self is directly proportional to how many honors they have gathered. While this may seem to be a daunting task, this is the only way those at this degree of understanding will ever be really fulfilled and know authentic happiness and authentic success. This is True for all individuals who operate at all the other degrees of consciousness, previously mentioned. [1] Krauss-Whitbourne, Susan Krauss. “4 Signs That Someone Is Insecure.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 17 Nov. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201511/4-signs-someone-is-insecure. [2] Cherry, Kendra. “Why People Use Compensation as a Defense Mechanism.” Verywell Mind, 7 May 2020, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-compensation-2794972. [3] Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “7 Myths About Happiness We Need to Stop Believing.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 9 Mar. 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-happiness/201303/7-myths-about-happiness-we-need-stop-believing. [4] Taylor, Steve. “The Problem with Wanting.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 28 July 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201507/the-problem-wanting.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/defense-driveness/">Defense-Driveness</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Wanting and Hostility: CBT and Consciousness Series</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/wanting-and-hostility-cbt-and-consciousness-series/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=wanting-and-hostility-cbt-and-consciousness-series</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clinical Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://sweetinstitute.com/?p=10977</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>What are your overall thoughts on the two levels of Consciousness known as Unworthiness and Avoidance? What do you see for yourself? What do you see for your patients, and what does it take for you to help them shift to a higher level of Consciousness? In our previous article, entitled, Unworthiness and Avoidance, we asked you to ponder the above three questions. We also explained that these questions will become clearer as we continue with the articles in this series which are designed to explore CBT and Consciousness. In the article, entitled, Unworthiness and Avoidance, we introduced two levels of Consciousness that are life interfering. In this one, we are going to explore the following two levels of Consciousness: Wanting and Hostility. Wanting: Sometimes, we forget about self-loathing, blameworthiness, hopelessness, unworthiness, and even avoidance, at least momentarily. Rather, we start living a contradictory life, unconsciously quieting our “messy” inner life at all costs, and masking it with outer life, through strongly wishing, wanting, and desiring. As it happens, once we start desiring, we start realizing that things do not always happen all at once, or right away; and given the lack of a space to reflect, we quickly view the world as being “upsetting,” and “disappointing. [1}” Those who have no desire, tend to not get disappointed. They had no expectations, anyway. Others, used to have the desire, felt disappointed, and just stopped desiring. On the other hand, the individuals at the current degree of Consciousness of wanting, have such a strong wanting, desire, and longing, that tends to be characterized by some form of craving. As such, they see everything through the lens of their desires. Many will give anything and everything in exchange for their wanting, and they, therefore, live life through self-imprisonment or enslavement.&#160; Contrary to those at a lower degree of Consciousness, individuals at the degree of Consciousness of “Wanting” are motivated by their cravings. They tend to do whatever it takes; they put in as much effort as possible to get what they want &#8211; be it money, a career, fame, power, or relationships. Wanting any of these things is not a problem in itself; however, those at this degree of Consciousness tend to share several characteristics from the lower degrees of Consciousness. Their insight, self-knowledge, or knowledge of their why tends to be either superficial or very limited, and that can be very dangerous to themselves, their health, their loved ones, and even society. This is because all they know is that they are “driven,” but they really cannot explain why beyond their obvious need to just get more, more, and more, of whatever it is that they are trying to collect [2]. Nonetheless, given the fact that our brain gets to focus on whatever we are feeding it, the individuals at this degree of Consciousness of wanting never seem to get enough; they never feel enough, and they never feel satisfied. Their wanting, as a result, takes over their life, leading to a blind obsession, not without a number of life interfering ramifications. Hostility: Achieving can be an arduous and even a painful process if we try to do so from the degree of Consciousness of Wanting without ever advancing to the higher degrees of Consciousness. As a result, we may know numerous individuals, who come across as unforgiving, unsympathetic, and aggressive. These individuals tend to view life as hostile, and all they have to do run over others, or else they “will be run over.” It’s a dog-eat-dog world.&#160; Annoyance, irritation, frustration, anger, and even hate are the predominant emotions of the individuals who belong to this degree of Consciousness, known as Hostility. Individuals at this degree of Consciousness live their life through this same process of hostility and aggression, especially when their needs are not being met. They may also resent, think about revenge, and become argumentative, explosive, and threatening. What they don’t know is that their hostility is generated by not having certain needs met, which is because they overvalue the significance of their wanting, of their goals, desires, or longing. When not paying attention, individuals at this degree of Consciousness may feel hate, which may lead to further frustration in their lives, creating a never-ending cycle of hostility. If only they knew that frustration can be channeled into positive actions leading to higher performance and more life promoting results. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela, have proven that it is possible to channel frustration into accomplishing something that benefits a larger group, without anyone having to lose. This is known as the process of Transmutation. Another insight that individuals at the degree of Consciousness of Hostility may well benefit from knowing that their wanting, desires, and longing, are simply a way to fill up a perceived inside hole that will never be filled by anything external [3]. These individuals experience a feeling of unfulfillment, they lack authentic happiness, authentic success is foreign to them, and they are trying to pursue all this in a very inauthentic way. “The more money I have, the more degrees I have, the more power I have, or the more I can prove or show for, the better off I will be.” This clear illusion that is obvious to most individuals, except to those caught in this degree of Consciousness make them prompt to hostility, and leads to tumultuous relationships in their life. What are your overall thoughts on these two levels of Consciousness of Wanting and Hostility? What do you see for yourself? What do you see for your patients, and what does it take for you to help them shift to a higher level of Consciousness? These questions will become increasingly clear as we continue with our subsequent articles in this series. As usual, we invite you to continue to ponder upon them, in the meantime; and we look forward to hearing from you. See you soon,Karen and Mardoche P.S. Please join us for our CBT module on [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/wanting-and-hostility-cbt-and-consciousness-series/">Wanting and Hostility: CBT and Consciousness Series</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Unworthiness and Avoidance</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/unworthiness-and-avoidance/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=unworthiness-and-avoidance</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clinical Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consciousness]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://sweetinstitute.com/?p=10875</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>What are your overall thoughts on these first three levels of Consciousness? Where do you see yourself? Where do you see your patients, and what does it take for you to help them shift to a higher level of Consciousness? In our previous article, 3 Life Interfering Levels of Consciousness, we asked you to ponder upon the above three questions. We also explained that these questions would become clearer as we continue with the articles in this series that explore CBT and Consciousness. In the article, 3 Life Interfering Levels of Consciousness, we introduced the first three levels of Consciousness that are life interfering. Those three levels of Consciousness are; Self-loathing, Blameworthiness, and Hopelessness. In this article, we are going to explore the next two; Unworthiness and Avoidance: Unworthiness: We may know some individuals who feel unworthy, holding themselves in contempt, or disdain. These individuals view life as a calamity, catastrophe, or a tragedy. As such, they are almost always sad, sorrowful, or grieving, all of which are the characteristics of this degree of Consciousness. Regret is, therefore, their predominant emotion, and they tend to go through life, feeling down, disheartened, dispirited, and tend to go through life through the process of discouragement or despondency. Furthermore, these individuals often talk about loss, or mourning, and are living, for the most part, in their past [1]. They tend to identify with their past, with their failures, and may unconsciously accept failure as their way of being. Because they are always in their past, they continuously live life accumulating loss after loss, including losing money, their health, jobs, friends, and opportunities. This is the result of what they have been creating with their thoughts and feelings, except this understanding will be far out of reach for them. &#160;It will be very difficult for these individuals to move up from this degree of Consciousness because their losses are often viewed or used as the justifications, reasons, or even explanations for why they are prone to sadness, sorrow or grief [2]. As such, any unwanted news, any losses of theirs or of others, any coincidental dates, or places, or situations make them relive their losses, despite the fact that they were already living their losses in their head. Each life situation or circumstance becomes, in their mind, a valid explanation that helps them justify why they can openly talk about their losses from forty years ago. The saddest part is that any help or mental health services they receive serves to deepen and reinforce their beliefs that they will, “never get over these kinds of things,” or that they are “broken.” This commonly used phrase is also one of the most frequently told lies out there and damages many patients who come to us to receive help. One of the reasons why this happens is because of the level of &#160;Consciousness of many mental health professionals. It is not that “we never get over these kinds of things,” rather, it is that we are convinced that whatever thought, feeling, or action we experience, is an accurate representation of “what happened” to us. Here’s an example: Many individuals feel depressed after their partner breaks up with them. At times their partner calls them, apologizes, cries, and asks them for forgiveness. They then end up going out for dinner, and their state suddenly changes, no more depression.&#160; They shower, put their best outfit, and spend the whole night feeling like they are in heaven. Individuals at this level of Consciousness not only focus on their past, or their losses, but also perceive such losses as final and think that they will never be able to make up for them. This is part of them viewing life as being tragic. “This was the love of my life. I’ll never find love again.” Or, “My mother was all I had. Now, life will never be the same.” And, they truly believe it, they live their life accordingly, and they always find a way to prove it to themselves, again, and again, and again, which reinforces the belief. AvoidanceWe all know individuals who come across as harsh, cruel, and punitive. They tend to view life as being startling, terrifying, and frightening. They are, therefore, driven by fear, which seems to be their predominant emotion. This is that set of individuals who are an “anxious type.” Because of fear, they tend to cope with life by avoiding, and/or by withdrawing themselves from certain situations or people instead of facing them. To move up from this level of Consciousness, we must first understand that the people we admire or praise for being “heroes” did not become heroes by never experiencing fear. Rather they acted, moved, and faced the situations, despite the experience of fear. In other words, they learned to understand that there is actually no such thing as fear. Many of us now know that we are not afraid of anything that is real, but of things that are imagined. We are not really afraid of touching a hot stove, because we already know what will happen if we choose to touch a hot stove. As such, it fails to follow logic to call this fear. We call this knowing, or common sense. When we fear, it is because we are imagining [3]. If only we could remind ourselves that, “hey, this is only in my imagination.” At least, we could then choose to either act, regardless of the perceived fear; or choose to follow our imagination. Of course, with time, we will find it silly to keep living our life based on a type of imagination that is not serving us; and only then, will we move up from this level of Consciousness. It takes so much energy to live like this; being anxious all the time, imagining danger everywhere, and seeing every single aspect of the world as frightening. The way we run one area of our life, is the same way we run other areas of [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/unworthiness-and-avoidance/">Unworthiness and Avoidance</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>3 Life Interfering Levels of Consciousness</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/3-life-interfering-levels-of-consciousness/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=3-life-interfering-levels-of-consciousness</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2021 16:50:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clinical Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Consciousness]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://sweetinstitute.com/?p=10463</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>If you were to look at the different results in the different areas of your life, which ones would you like to elevate or advance? What types of conditions, thoughts, or levels of Consciousness do you think may have been maintaining the unconscious processes generating these results? What new conditions, thoughts, or levels of Consciousness are required as a primer for our Ordinary Blueprint to have new substance for our unconscious processes? In our previous article, entitled, CBT, Consciousness and Mental Processes, we asked you to ponder the above three questions. We also explained that these questions would become clearer as we continue with the articles in this series and explore CBT and Consciousness. Please see the previous articles in this series for a deeper understanding of the present one. In this present article, we are introducing the first three levels of Consciousness that are life interfering. In subsequent articles, we will introduce the additional levels of Consciousness. Self-loathing [1]: We may know or hear of some individuals who loathe, hate, detest, or despise themselves. This is their being. This is their decree about themselves, and this is how they view themselves. As a result, these individuals see life as sorrowful, sad, unhappy, meager, and miserable. The main theme, and the main characteristic of this degree of Consciousness, is “losing face,” or “Shame.” As such, the main emotions are embarrassment, indignity, or humiliation, and individuals at this degree of Consciousness are likely to see everything through such a lens. As a result, these individuals go through life through a process of self-destruction, or destruction of others, both at a conscious and at an unconscious level. In practice, we have met several patients at this degree of Consciousness, and most of the time, they have been a victim of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)[2], that are shame prone, and have failed to process them properly. Sexual abuse at an early age is an example. Individuals at this degree of Consciousness tend to have low self-esteem and tend to be withdrawn and shy. Blameworthiness: The second degree of Consciousness (going from least to most developed) is that of individuals who tend to describe themselves as unforgiving, vengeful, or vindictive. In the eyes and in these individuals&#8217; minds, life is just wicked, wrong, bad, and evil; and the main characteristic of this degree of Consciousness is culpability, blameworthiness, or guilt; which then makes “blame” these individuals’ main emotion. This also becomes the lens through which these individuals see everything. Just like the first level, individuals at this degree tend to go through life through the process of self-destruction and the process of destruction of others. For these individuals, remorse, victimhood, and masochism are often common, and their unconscious blameworthiness often leads to psychosomatic disease and suicidal behaviors. This degree of Consciousness also highlights the common characteristic of the first state of awareness, known as suffering. A state where someone sees life and everything about life through the lens of victimhood [3]. In such a case, life is always happening to him; he has no say, no power, whatsoever, and everyone is to blame, particularly those on the outside. Needless to say, he blames himself as well, and the cycle of self-blame and external blame continues. Hopelessness: The third degree of Consciousness can be seen in individuals who criticize, attack, and condemn themselves. They view life as awful, terrible, dreadful, and hopeless; and the characteristic of this degree of Consciousness can be summarized as indifference or apathy. Pain and distress are their main emotional bases and the lens through which they see everything. Giving up, or resignation is the process they use to go through life. To them, both resources and resourcefulness seem to be nonexistent. As such, they tend to be totally dependent on others or on society, and they are typically indifferent as to whether they continue to live or die. These individuals are also those who have given up. They have given up on themselves. They believe it is not worth trying, and as a result, do not even bother to try. They tend to go through life with sheer resignation, as if they were merely existing, and are just waiting for their “final days.” As a healthcare provider, working with someone at this degree of Consciousness can be most draining.&#160; What are your overall thoughts on these first three levels of Consciousness? Where do you see yourself? Where do you see your patients, and what does it take for you to help them shift to a higher level of Consciousness? These questions will become clearer as we continue with our subsequent articles in this series. Meanwhile, we invite you to ponder upon them; and we look forward to hearing from you. See you soon, Karen and Mardoche P.S. Please join us for our CBT module on CBT and Action, scheduled for March 10th, 7pm EST. We look forward to welcoming you. [1] Barrington, Jo. “Self-Loathing: Where Self-Loathing Comes From and How to Stop It.” PsychAlive, 22 Dec. 2020, www.psychalive.org/self-loathing/. [2] “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Apr. 2020, www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html. [3] Kaufman, Scott Barry. “Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 29 June 2020, www.scientificamerican.com/article/unraveling-the-mindset-of-victimhood/.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/3-life-interfering-levels-of-consciousness/">3 Life Interfering Levels of Consciousness</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>CBT, Consciousness, and our Unconscious Processes</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/cbt-consciousness-and-our-unconscious-processes/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=cbt-consciousness-and-our-unconscious-processes</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Mar 2021 03:55:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clinical Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBT]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://sweetinstitute.com/?p=9545</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In a previous article, we explained that the most important and significant ingredient in CBT [1] is Consciousness. We explained that Consciousness is related to awareness, insight, and living a conscious life. Consciousness, therefore, comprises of both that which is unconscious and that which is conscious. And the only difference between the two is that one is automatic, reflective, involuntary, or simply “unconscious”; while the other one is voluntary, intentional, deliberate, or simply “conscious.” All this can create confusion for clinicians or scholars unless the following is fully understood: The problem is not that something is “unconscious.” For example, the beating of our heart, our breathing activity, digestion, or even our gland production, all are example of unconscious processes in our life. They are unconscious because they take place automatically, reflexively, and involuntarily [2]. Are we not glad they do? Can you imagine if we had to ensure that our heart beat at least 70 times a minute, or that we are breathing in and out 12-16 times a minute? Let’s just say we seem to be better off letting these parts of our unconscious processes be. However, because they are unconscious it does not mean we do not have a say. To have a say means we can affect these unconscious processes, we can adjust them, and we can modify them. We can choose right now to hold our breath. We can start doing some jumping jacks and increase our heart rate to 100 beats per minute. We can also speed up our digestive process by taking a walk after eating. All these are conscious activities that lead to a change, modification, or adjustment of unconscious activities. Now, this is more important than it may sound. For having as many of our processes as possible to be unconscious can be a very efficient way to live. However, the blueprint for these automatic processes is what makes the biggest difference. Let us elaborate: We have two types of Blueprints: Our Ordinary Blueprint, and our Natural Blueprint Our Ordinary Blueprint comprises of a triad: A. Our genetic make-up; B. Our experience and environment; C. The process of Epigenetics When we are born, we automatically inherit the genetic make-up of our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, ancestors, and beyond&#160; The Blueprint that is used for unconscious processes therefore is our Ordinary Blueprint, that is primarily based on our inherited genetic make-up All our genes are not expressed. In fact, less than 10% of our genes are expressed; and these less then 10% that are expressed can have their expression modified through the process of epigenetics When we are born, the Ordinary Blueprint that our unconscious processes are using are all based on our inherited genetic make-up, the composition of this Ordinary Blueprint starts to change as we start having experiences, as we are exposed more to the environment, and as we start exploring and using our senses As our exposure to experiences and environment becomes significant enough, the process of epigenetics will then become an intermediary to interact with our genes to then modify our Ordinary Blueprint that our unconscious processes have been using If the experiences or environment that we are exposed to, are life promoting or are at least more life promoting than our expressed inherited gene, then through the process of epigenetics, our Ordinary Blueprint will adjust itself and our unconscious processes, in turn, will address themselves accordingly. This means advancement in all our unconscious processes, be it, physical processes, mental processes, behaviors, or habits. This also means, advancement in our results, in our identity, looping back to our belief systems and our Ordinary Blueprint, reinforcing it, accordingly. If, on the other hand, the experiences or environment that we are exposed to, are life interfering or are at least more life interfering than our expressed inherited gene, then through the process of epigenetics, our Ordinary Blueprint will adjust itself and our unconscious processes, in turn, will adjust themselves accordingly. This means regression in all our unconscious processes, be it, physical processes, mental processes, behaviors, or habits. This also means, regression in our results, in our identity, looping back in our belief systems and our Ordinary Blueprint, reinforcing it, accordingly. Our Ordinary Blueprint is not static. With new exposed experiences and environment, our epigenetics mediates interactions between them and our inherited expressed genes for new gene expression, remodeled Ordinary Blueprint, and therefore for a reshaped template for our unconscious processes. Due to our unconscious processes, what environment we expose ourselves to or what environment or conditions we put ourselves into may also be done automatically. However, because our unconscious processes which automate our experiences, environment, or conditions, are not fixed, we can always change them. We can always expose ourselves to new experiences, new environments, or new conditions. For this we need to realize: The types of results we are having in the different areas of our life, and whether this is really what we are consciously choosing or not Be willing to choose different results in our life and decide to do so at once Know that while we were born with a certain set of inherited expressed genes, we are not stuck with them, we can change our gene expression, and it all starts with new experiences, new environment, and new conditions The primer for each of our experiences, conditions, or for each environment we’re exposed to is our thought Our thought is the only Operant Factor, and this is what creates the action potential and catalyzes the process of epigenetics, mediating interaction between new conditions and our expressed genes, leading to new gene expression, and modifying our Ordinary Blueprint. As a reminder, the modification of Our Ordinary Blueprint may be a form of advancement if the new conditions are life promoting; while it may also be a form of regression if the new conditions are life interfering [3]. The above serve as a foundation for the subsequent articles in this series, where we are going to be [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/cbt-consciousness-and-our-unconscious-processes/">CBT, Consciousness, and our Unconscious Processes</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Imagination</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/imagination/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=imagination</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Purpose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SWEET Institute]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sweetinstitute.com/imagination/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p class="">When we worry, complain, or focus on what is “<strong><em>not</em></strong> working,” we are using our imagination against ourselves. On the other hand, when we start to truly understand that Life will always be on our side, we use our imagination for our benefit, others, and the whole world.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/imagination/">Imagination</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>What’s The Number 1 Skill In CBT?</title>
		<link>https://sweetinstitute.com/number-one-cbt-skill/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=number-one-cbt-skill</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[CBT Certificate Program]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seeking a Purpose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Purpose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SWEET Institute]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sweetinstitute.com/cbt-soft-skills/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p class="">While there may be several factors contributing to this, part of the answer can be summed up by this sentence: “CBT cannot be successful without our clinical soft skills.”</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com/number-one-cbt-skill/">What’s The Number 1 Skill In CBT?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://sweetinstitute.com">SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
